Piano Practicing
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

La la la la la la la
Childhood memories of singing and playing the piano with joy and abandon.

Mi mi mi mi mi mi mi
Signifies harmonious and sweet musical experience

Lu lu lu lu lu lu lu
Symbolizes the flow of musical notes and expressions

Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma
Reflects the musical notes played on the piano

He he he he he
Conveys a feeling of joy and excitement

Ha ha ha ha ha
Signifies laughter and enjoyment that is missing in practicing piano

Ho ho ho ho ho hooo
Represents an inconvenience or burden that is associated with practicing piano

Ha ha ha ha
Indicates a feeling of resignation amidst the experience of practicing piano

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a soprano
The artist talks about her aspirations from an early age to singing soprano

But my mother said my dear you've got to practice your piano
The artist's mother insisted she should spend her time practicing piano instead of singing solo to become a better musician overall.

No soprano's in to man but a piano's always grand
The mom didn't want her daughter to pursue solo singing because there's not as much money in it as playing in a musical ensemble.

And grand pianos in a band make money darling
Reinforces the mother's point that playing piano can be more lucrative than singing at the solo level.

And so each afternoon when I come home from school
The artist followed her mother's advice and spent afternoons practicing piano after returning home from school.

I practice like a bloody fool
She practiced tirelessly and with passion daily during her childhood.

You can't imagine all the awful things I play
The artist reflects on the frustration she used to feel during her childhood while practicing piano.

I could never see a friend
She had to forgo her social life to practice piano.

I'd have to practice without end
It seemed like an unending exercise to her.

And as the time was dripping by
The artist expresses her feelings of boredom and monotony associated with long hours of piano practice.

I watched the clock without denial
She monitored the hours spent practicing piano.

I got the window on the sky
She longed for the freedom to enjoy life and look outside the window.

I wished so tearfully that I Could come outside and play
The artist still holds onto the memory of wanting to go outside and do other things instead of practicing.

Instead of wasting every day Of learning something that Without a doubt I could have really done without
She reflects on the futility of practicing piano and how it was not something she wanted to do.

It was such a bore
The constant practice made her hate playing the piano.

And I could hear the boy next door was having fun And that was something that I'd really never done
The artist felt left out hearing kids play outside while she was practicing piano.

Playing major scales and than I played the minors once again
She talks about the monotony of practice and how it was devoid of newness and excitement.

Now up and down the keys I play and out of these I play a tirade of all the exercises
In this line, the artist refers to the different techniques she practiced to master the skill.

Never any new surprises Girl you keep your fingers wrong What a sound
She talks about the struggle she faced while learning how to play piano and how she was always reprimanded for poor performance.

All I wanted was to sing And not to make the rafters ring With my old piano
The artist reflects on her love for singing and how she found the piano to be a poor substitute.

Practicing I would have popped my back I sing, I hated every minute of the keyboard I devote That is why today I'm a soprano, but the sight of a piano Makes me shot before I can not play a note
Finally, she concludes the song by indicating that singing was her true love, but admits that spending so much time practicing the piano played a major role in making her into the artist she became.